Catering & Free School Meals

Our cashless catering system is basically a computer controlled by software which allows the system to recognise each individual student, hold individual cash balances, record cash spent and cash received. It will also show the type of food being purchased on any specific date and time of day.

Each student will have their fingerprint registered which will then be translated to an individual alpha numeric code. The image is then discarded and students entered into the system program are subsequently identified by their individual code.

The student simply places their finger on a scanner at the point of sale; a display will show the server the student’s name, class and current cash balance held within the system. The selected food items will be entered into the system from an itemised keyboard while the amount spent and the new cash balance will show on the display.

(a) Online via the secure payments portal: ParentPay. Online payments are synchronised to the cashless catering system every 10 minutes.

A remote display at the point of sale will show the new cash balance when the food service is finished.

An automatic limit of £5.00 per day is set on each student’s account. Upon request, an individual student limit of your choice could also be set, to include a school dinner and break time snacks

As before, no student is refused a school dinner because they have not brought their dinner money to school with them. The school will allow for the student to loan money for one day. The student will, however, be expected to bring some money with them the next day to repay the loan and will need to re-credit the system by using the revaluation station or by cheque payment to SWRA via the school office.

The system works exactly the same for all students whether they pay or have a free school meal. All students have their own account to use in exactly the same way. The amount allocated for the free school meal will be entered into the system by the software daily.

The system will then allow, on a daily basis, the required cash amount for each individual student to be allotted to their current cash balance, for spending during the lunchtime period. Whilst any daily underspend against the allowance will be identified by the system, this will not be added to the next day’s balance.

The student can also add extra cash on to his or her balance in the system by using the revaluation station, to provide a greater daily spend on the school dinner than allocated by their free meal allowance.

Families are encouraged to check their eligibility for free school meals via the Lincolnshire County Council website:

Please advise the school of your eligibility so that we can verify this with the local authority and start crediting your child’s daily allowance.

Pupils who are leaving Sir William Robertson Academy are expected to run down the dinner money in their account, preferably so they leave with a zero balance. Any students who leave with a balance of more than £5.00 will in the first instance be transferred to a siblings account. Where no siblings remain in school we will issue refunds for balances over £5.00. All refunds will be issued at the end of the summer term.

Data Handling

Certain data will be held on the system to enable accurate operation. This will include your child’s name, class, photo, account balance and meal entitlement. This data will be handled under the guidelines of the data protection act and only used by parties directly involved with the implementation and administration of the system.

Providing your consent/objecting

In order to be able to use your child’s biometric information, the written consent of at least one parent is required. Please note that consent given by one parent will be overridden if the other parent objects in writing to the use of their child’s biometric information. Similarly, if your child objects to this, the academy cannot collect or use his/her biometric information for inclusion on the automated recognition system. We would appreciate it if you could discuss this with your child and explain to them that they can object to this if they wish.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would be grateful if you could please complete the form and return to Mrs Broxholme in the Finance Office. Please complete one form for each child you have in school.

​According to current research it is estimated that over 200,000 pupils entitled to Free School Meals are not doing so in Lincolnshire! School meals offer a nutritionally balanced meal during the school day to ensure your child is ready and able to engage fully in their learning and we would encourage you to apply for this entitlement.

You are entitled to free school meals for your children if you receive:

• Income Support
• Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to
• Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
• Working Tax Credit ‘run-on’ – the payment someone may receive for a further four weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
  More information about benefits/tax credits schemes is available on the gov.uk website, there are Eligibility criteria, calculators and online application forms available. All the information about benefits available to parents/carers can be found on the following link https://www.gov.uk/browse/childcare-parenting/financial-help-children

Making the claim not only benefits your child in providing a healthy meal but also releases additional funds to the school to ensure they meet their full academic potential through a range of interventions that the school has put in place. Current initiatives include:-

Cashless catering– An amount of £2.40 is added daily after break time for eligible students, this covers the cost of a hot main meal and pudding, it does not cover the cost of drinks and water is available free of charge from drinking fountains and jugs in the dining room.

Trip subsidies – for all curriculum based off site events to ensure they can participate fully in all learning opportunities.

Easter revision classes – to ensure your child is prepared for their final examinations by accessing additional sessions based on examination technique and content linked to a wide range of courses.

1:1 Tuition in Maths and English – to bridge any barriers to making progress in these key areas of the curriculum.

Learning Mentor – provided to support pupils who are struggling to make progress or who are having difficulties at home or school.

For a full list of the interventions the school is providing please click here. (*This intervention is accessible by all students.)